Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a control unit for controlling a pipetting machine, a pipetting machine, and a method for controlling a pipetting machine in which the control unit is designed for controlling at least one actuator for moving a pipetting device between receptacle units for liquids to be pipetted, for receiving liquids to be pipetted, and/or for dispensing liquids to be pipette.
Description of Related Art
A pipetting machine in the meaning of the present invention is preferably a device, which is designed for fully automatic liquid transfer. For this purpose, the pipetting machine preferably has a pipetting device, which is movable in multiple spatial directions. Fundamentally, the proposed control unit can also be used for other devices, however, in particular for other laboratory machines, in particular for repositioning of substances or objects.
A pipetting machine of the type under discussion is preferably designed to move a pipetting device, also called a pipetting head or liquid end, between different operating positions. For this purpose, the pipetting machine can have a positioning unit, in particular an X-/Y-/Z-movement unit, by which the pipetting device can be moved. The positioning unit can also be or have a robot arm, by which the pipetting device is movable at least substantially freely in space.
A pipetting device in the meaning of the present invention is preferably a movable head having one or more displacer units or other units for generating overpressure or underpressure for aspirating or expelling liquids. The pipetting device preferably has one or more coupling points for attaching or replacing one or more pipette tips or syringes. The respective pipette tips or coupling points are associated, preferably in each case, with displacer units. The syringe or the respective syringes is/are preferably designed as a displacer unit or form such a unit.
The pipetting device can have one or more pipette tips or syringes at one or more coupling points, wherein pipetting devices having only a single pipette tip or syringe are referred to as a single-channel pipetting device and a pipetting device having multiple pipette tips or syringes is referred to as a multichannel pipetting device.
Displacer unit(s) of the pipetting device usually has/have one or more cylinder-and-piston arrangements, which are designed to aspirate liquid through the discharge opening(s) of the pipette tip(s) therein or to expel it therefrom. Fundamentally, aspirating and expelling of liquid into or out of the respective pipette tip, can also be performed in another manner, however.
The pipetting machine preferably has receptacle units for liquids to be pipetted or is designed to accommodate or hold such receptacle units, in particular so-called cells, wells, or the like.
The pipetting machine preferably has one actuator or multiple actuators, by means of which the pipetting device is moved or is movable between different receptacle units, and/or by means of which the receiving of liquid in and/or the dispensing of liquid from one or more of the pipette tips of the pipetting device can be caused. These or further actuators of the pipetting machine are preferably controllable by a control unit.
An actuator in the meaning of the present invention is preferably a unit for the controlled performance of an effect for operating the pipetting machine. In particular, the actuator is a motor or another drive for moving the pipetting device and/or a drive for moving the piston of a cylinder-and-piston arrangement or other displacer unit, to aspirate liquid through a discharge opening of a pipette tip therein or to expel it therefrom.
European Patent Application EP 2 613 155 A1 and corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 8,580,197 disclose a control unit for a computer-controlled pipetting machine. The pipetting machine comprises a work surface for arranging containers and a motorized pipetting robot. The pipetting robot has at least one pipette for receiving and dispensing liquid samples. The control unit is set up to control the pipetting robot, so that it can position the at least one pipette at specific positions on the work surface.
The known pipetting machine furthermore comprises an interface, which has input means and display means. Multiple configuration interfaces can be displayed by the display means.
The known control unit is designed, by way of selection of one or more pictograms, which correspond to containers, to assign a desired volume to the pictograms by means of the input means, which is to be received from the container corresponding to the respective pictogram or is to be dispensed to the container corresponding to the respective pictogram.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,694,197 discloses a control unit for a single-channel reformatting device. With the aid of this reformatting device, liquids can be transferred from cells, which receive the liquids of a source plate to cells of a target plate. For this purpose, the known control unit controls an x-y-positioning unit and a z-positioning unit.
By means of the x-y-positioning unit, an arbitrary cell of the source plate or target plate can be positioned under a pipetting device for receiving or dispensing liquid to be pipetted. By means of the z-positioning unit, the pipetting device can be moved vertically upward and downward.
By way of a graphic user interface, pictograms of source plates and target plates and the cells thereof can be displayed in a configuration interface. The pictograms of the plates and the cells thereof can be selected by clicking. By selecting a cell of the source plate and subsequently selecting one or more cells of the target plate a linkage between the cells can be specified. In addition, transfer parameters like a volume to be transferred can be defined.